Local players to watch

Lawrence Conneff

Sunday

Apr 8, 2012 at 12:24 AM

The Heritage is something of a home tournament for young PGA professionals Kyle Stanley, Mark Anderson and Brian Harman. A fourth participant, amateur Corbin Mills, gained entry when he won a tournament at Bluffton's Belfair Plantation. Here's a look at the players' 2012 seasons and previous appearances at Harbour Town.

Kyle Stanley

The Berkeley Hall resident and former Clemson standout won his first PGA Tour title early this season at the Phoenix Open, coming back from eight shots down with a 6-under 65 in the final round. That was one week after he made national headlines by losing a five-shot lead at the Farmers Insurance Open. Stanley made his first appearance at the Masters last week and entered that tournament ranked fifth on the money list. In last year's Heritage, he was 5-over after two rounds and missed the cut.

Mark Anderson

The 26-year old Anderson, who grew up in Beaufort, is making his fourth consecutive appearance at the Heritage. He qualified for his first Heritage by winning the Players Amateur at Belfair in 2008 and made this year's tournament on a sponsor's exemption. The former University of South Carolina golfer tied for 29th two weeks ago at the Shell Houston Open. It was the fifth consecutive cut made by Anderson, who is a PGA Tour rookie. His best finish at Harbour Town was a tie for 81st in 2010.

Brian Harman

A Savannah native and former University of Georgia standout, Harman has had a pair of top-15 finishes in his rookie season. He tied for 15th at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and finished in a tie for 12th at the Honda Classic. His 9-under 61 in the second round of the Honda Classic set a course record at PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. This is Harman's third appearance at the Heritage. He received sponsor's exemptions in 2004 and 2006, the latter after winning the Players Amateur, and missed the cut both times.

Corbin Mills

The Clemson University junior earned a spot in the Heritage field by winning the Players Amateur at Belfair in July. He also just competed in the Masters, having secured a place at Augusta with his victory in the 2011 U.S. Amateur Public Links. Mills is currently 12th in Golfweek's world amateur rankings. The Anderson native is ranked 20th among men's collegiate players.

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